


Don't Wait Out In The Snow!

by buckycap



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Asthma, Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Pre-War, Protective Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-18
Updated: 2013-04-18
Packaged: 2017-12-08 21:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckycap/pseuds/buckycap





	Don't Wait Out In The Snow!

It was the cold that had him worried. Forced to work late at the shop the teen had no choice but remain behind until the late hours when the rest of the street had shut. Steve had been on his mind constantly considering the snow outside and he knew his friend had been staying late  at class. Bucky also knew that since Steve had been staying late, he hadn’t taken a key and the image of Steve stuck outside made his heart clench in fear. He wouldn’t survive, literally would not survive.

            Half an hour later he managed to persuade his boss to let him go, promising to be back earlier than usual in the morning to help finish. He accepted his wages before grabbing his jacket, pulling it on tight and disappearing into the night and the snow. Bucky Barnes, possibly the most selfless man that existed in Brooklyn right now especially in winter. He did everything in his power to keep his best friend alive, knowing that winter could be the death of the younger he broke into a run. Sprinting down the street and racing the blocks to the crappy apartment he shared with Steve, Bucky got more worried when he spotted the apartment but no light in the window.

            Reaching the path, the older boy stopping in a quiet horror when green eyes locked on the small form of Steve Rogers, huddled up against the door. “Steve!” Jogging up the steps he crouched next to he form, bright blue eyes staring up at him and a relieved smile breaking out over his friends face. “Bucky! I got so worried that something had happened to you w-when you weren’t home!” Steve shifted up and brushed the snow of his trousers, running his eyes over Bucky to make sure he was okay.

            “He held me back, jesus Steve you shouldn’t have waited out here in the cold like this!” Bucky grasped his arm, hauling the thin guy to his feet as he jammed the key in the lock and pushed the door open. Ushering Steve inside he kicked the door shut and dropped his pay check on the desk and heading straight for the over to switch it on. They couldn’t afford the waste of gas but with Steve having been sitting outside in the snow for however long, Bucky wasn’t willing to risk it. “Why did he hold you back?” Steve’s voice even sounded cold as he stripped off his jacket, spreading it over the back of the chair and wrapping his thin arms around his stomach. He was freezing, more so that he had ever felt before and he couldn’t stop the violent shivers assaulting his body. Bucky finished filling up the kettle as he spoke. “The order was late, I have to go in early tomorrow to finish up because.. Steve!”

            Bucky had turned, green eyes shooting wide at the sight of the shivering boy. His lips were blue, scarily blue; his face drawn and pale and Bucky could see his friends struggle to breathe without even having to listen to the wheezing. “You.. you idiot!” He placed the pot on the stove, opening the oven door to let the heat out before grassing and grasping both of Steve’s arms. “Bath for you before you freeze to death!” Usually a joke between friends but where Steve was concerned it was a scary reality. And Bucky was scared, the blueish tinge to Steve’s skin, the shovering and wheezing’ the guilt hit him with a punch in the gut. If he had been home on time this would never have happened. Steve followed immediately, opening his mouth to insist he was okay but even he couldn’t lie his way out of this one. His chest was painfully tight, every breath drawing a chill down his spine and Bucky’s hand was almost painfully hot but he daren’t let go.

            Bucky leaned over, turning on the hot tap of the bath which was essentially a tin can but it would serve it’s purpose before he turned to his friend. “Strip,” he ordered, his eyes daring Steve to defy him. As much as they lived together they had never seen each other properly naked, mostly because the apartment was too cold for Steve to actually remove all his clothes, even in summer. “W-What?” Steve’s teeth chattered, another violent shudder going through him and his knee’s wobbling, his chest going tighter. “B-Bucky.. I can’t.. can’t…” Bucky recognised the signs of his asthma in seconds, pulling Steve forward and helping him out of his shirt, crouching to undo his shoes. There was a horrible cold chill to his skin that made the nerves twist and roll in Bucky’s stomach, tugging Steve’s trousers and boxers off before lifting him into the hot water. Steve didn’t have time to be embarrassed considering he could barely breath, struggling to suck in any air as he hit the hot water with a strangled yelp. “H-Hurts..” he chocked out, a warm hand appearing on his chest.

This wasn’t the first time Bucky had helped him with an attack brought on by the cold, and sitting outside in the snow? It was inevitable. He felt the shudders crash through Steve’s skinny frame, the choked struggles for air and rubbed his hand over his friend’s chest. “Steve, Steve it’s okay. Listen to me, you’re okay, just breath with me, breath.. slowly.. in…… and out…” He sucked in an exaggerated breath, offering a smile when blue eyes locked on him and the younger fought to copy Bucky’s breathing but to little avail. His skin was changing from the blue to red in the heat of the water but the shivering showed no signs of stopping and Steve shook his head against the edge of the tub, hands gripping onto Bucky’s arm in desperation. He couldn’t calm down, couldn’t relax.

Bucky stood up, on a spur of the moment he stripped off all of his own clothes and climbed into the tub aswell, hissing at the sting of the hot water and slipping behind his friend. He quickly wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him into his lap, running his chest soothingly. “Stevie it’s okay, I’m here, you’re okay,” he murmured, letting the smaller boy rest against his chest and keeping up the exaggerated breathing. Steve shuddered against Bucky, trying to curl up into the heat the other provided. The careful hands stroking his chest and arms, spreading the heat and hearing Bucky’s voice in his ear was finally enough for his body to relax. Slowly he could draw more air into his lung, warming up a lot faster with the gentle heat from his friend.

“That’s it.. nice an slow.. easy… see? Feeling better?” The worry was still knotting in Bucky’s stomach, the blue tinge still lingering on Steve’s lips and he wrapped his arms firmly around Steve. The smaller boy nodded, finally drawing in a steady breath. “Thankyou.. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.. I didn’t want to be a bother so I just waited..” He hadn’t know what to do, a dark house was not what he had expected to come back. The gentle squeeze of the arms  around his waist made him smile faintly. “Steve, I should have gotten in touch, I was so rushed and, yeah I’m sorry. But it’s okay, we’ll keep you warm, hope you haven’t caught anything.” That would spell disaster, they had no spare money for more medical bills. Winter got worse each year and so did Steve. It was then that Steve realised he was naked and his hands shot down to cover his groin, a flush creeping up his neck with made Bucky smile. “Relax, I’m a guy aswell, ain’t nothing different about us.” He knew body heat was the best and a little while later he felt Steve relax against him. They sat in silence, for once just enjoying the heat. Bucky would worry about the cost later.

Half an hour later Bucky was packing the covers around Steve in bed. “Don’t ever wait outside in the snow ever again okay? I don’t care where you go just don’t wait outside in the snow punk.” Bucky switched everything off and crawled into Steve’s bed, a thin hand grasping his arm tugging him closer. “Cold,” Steve murmured. Of course Steve would still be cold despite the hot bath, drying in front of the oven and in a nest of covers. Bucky slipped under the covers, wrapping a strong arm around Steve’s thin waist and pulling him tight against his chest. “Sleep,” Bucky whispered into his ear, the panic still there that Steve could get sick. Though, with the younger falling fast asleep in his arms, Bucky knew that they would tackle it like everything else, and make sure they pulled through.


End file.
